Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada fills you up inside

Vijaywada stands as the third largest city of the state of Andhra Pradesh and is popular by the name of Bezawada. It is famous for its juicy mangoes and mouth watering sweets. The city lies close to the banks of River Krishna in the southern side, while Budameru River surrounds it from the north and the Bay of Bengal on the east side. On the west lies the Indrakeeladri mountain range. The meaning of Vijayawada is a place of victory and is a prime city of southern India. It houses the biggest railway junction across South India. The city is situated on the confluence of Chennai-Howrah and Chennai-Delhi rail routes. It is also touched by the national highways numbered 5 and 9.

The main inhabitants of the place are agricultural communities. It is due to the fact that numerous canals pass through the city and are responsible for the irrigation of the farms across the Krishna delta. It is an important hub of trade and commerce. It functions as the administrative center of Krishna district as well. Vijayawada belonged to the Empire of Vijayanagar and was under the rule of King Sri Krishna Devarayar.

Vijayawada occupies a place in various myths and legends and according to a popular belief Lord Shiva blessed Arjuna, who was a great warrior of Mahabharatha, on the top of a hill called Indrakeeladri and Arjuna was the creator of Vijayawada. Another story says that it was the place where Goddess Durga rested after killing a demon and therefore was named the land of victory or Vijayawada. The place is full of tourists all round the year and the major attractions are Undavalli caves, Prakasam Barrage, Gandhi Stupa on Gandhi Hill, The Mogalarajapuram caves and Kandakadurga Temple.